Diesel or compression ignition engines are widely used in both light and heavy duty trucks. The well known FORD® F Series and E Series vehicles may utilize diesel engines, such as the 6.0 L and 6.4 L POWER STROKE® engines. These type diesel engine designs may have an oil cooler that is mounted in the bed, or valley, on the top of the engine, beneath an oil filter which is typically a canister-style filter.
Oil is drawn from the oil pan or reservoir through a pick up tube and directed by an oil generated rotor (“gerotor”) pump, or its equivalent, to the top mounted oil cooler and then to the oil filter. Oil to be cooled is routed to the oil cooler by passageways in the oil filter base. The stock oil cooler is a plate-style, liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger or cooler in which the oil to be cooled is in heat exchange relationship with engine coolant. The coolant from the engine cooling system passes through the oil cooler to extract heat from the oil. After exiting the cooler, the cooled and filtered oil is directed to various engine locations requiring lubrication and other locations such as the oil reservoir for the high pressure pump, the injection galleries, EOT and EOP sensors and to the turbo charger, if the engine is so equipped.
The oil distribution and cooling and filtration systems of conventional automotive diesel engines often present problems, as the oil cooler is top mounted in the engine valley on an oil filter base. The oil filter base includes an oil drain, to drain oil from the filter base during an oil change. If the oil drain becomes clogged, the result may be oil spillage during an oil change once the filter is removed. A faulty drain valve can also result in a critical and potentially damaging loss of lubricating oil.
Another problem with conventional oil cooler and filter systems is that these systems are expensive to repair and service. Space limitations present difficulty and obstruction to modifying the oil and cooling systems to enhance performance and engine durability.
As mentioned, diesel engines similar in construction to those described above, are widely used in automotive or highway applications. Diesel engines also have broad application and are used for marine, industrial, power generation and other mobile and fixed applications. These types of diesel engines often encounter the same or similar problems with lubrication systems as described with reference to automotive applications.